


house centipedes are the devil's children

by mooselady



Category: Ava's Demon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M, Gen, Roommates, written for scaredcoffeebean's shitty roommates au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-11
Updated: 2015-03-11
Packaged: 2018-03-17 10:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3526205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mooselady/pseuds/mooselady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hosts vs. A House Centipede</p>
            </blockquote>





	house centipedes are the devil's children

**Author's Note:**

> [I’m laughing because all I can picture in the shitty roommates au is cranky young adults being put through awkward or hilarious situations (like dealing with pests and weird neighbors). I hope you enjoy, because writing this actually lifted my mood alot!]
> 
> [ALSO if you don’t know what a house centipede is, it’s [this creature](http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs28/i/2008/130/0/6/House_Centipede_by_MrParts.jpg). They like to thrive in Satan’s asshole before crawling out and terrorizing innocent citizens.]
> 
>  
> 
> [magpielady.tumblr.com](https://magpielady.tumblr.com/)

Maggie glared at the dark-haired boy sitting on the couch. He was eating a carton of leftovers from a shady Chinese restaurant down the street, a carton of leftovers that had no doubtfully began to reach their expiration date.

Gil sat on the other end of the couch, scratching his hairline with a pen, absorbed in his notes. Maggie was trying to focus on her own essay laying in front of her at the dinner table, but the matter at hand was too dire to ignore. It was now or never, with Ava being in the privacy of the bathroom’s shower.

Fingers steepled, eyes squinted, she spoke out, “So, Odin.”

His eyes flashed up towards her. A stray noodle hung from his mouth and Maggie resisted the urge to gag. 

She continued. “You and Ava? What’s the deal with that?”

Odin furrowed his brow, looking off to the side. 

"Wh-what are you t-talking about?" he asked impassively, a dead drone to his voice. 

"You know _exactly_ what I’m talking about,” Maggie pressed. 

The boy swallowed the mouthful of food, and dead-panned, “No. I really don’t.”

Maggie tapped her pencil against her notebook, one eyebrow raised. 

"Really? Then why do you keep going into her room all the time?" 

Gil looked up from his notes. He turned to look at Odin, an expression of surprise all too clear on his face. 

Flustered, he spat out, “Wh-what?! That was one t-time! And it was because I was giving her b-back a p-pair of socks!”

"Okay, but you were in there a long time," Maggie persisted. 

"B-because we were talking!" Odin responded, his voice rising.

"So you’re not attracted to her?" the freckled girl interrogated, her tone layered with accusation. 

"Y-yes! No! I don’t- what’s w-with all the questions!?" he barked. 

Maggie was relentless. “So you’re telling me, if she didn’t walk out here right now in nothing but her underwear, you wouldn’t have a complete heart attack on the spot?”

Odin’s confused face looked from Maggie, to Gil, then back to Maggie, before he tilted his chin up and straightened his posture. With a smirk he answered, “Absolutely not.” He took another bite of the Chinese food and continued haughtily, “Ava Ire could walk out here _naked_ and I wouldn’t bat an eyelash.”

The bathroom door flew open, revealing the tiny girl. She leapt out, a towel wrapped around her bare frame, body and hair dripping wet. She was squealing sounds of distress, eyes wide in alarm. 

Odin choked on his food, coughing and spluttering, as Gil jolted himself in concern. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

"There’s something in there!" she answered, pointing at the bathroom, the shower still running. "It’s looks like a spider, but I don’t really know." She scrunched the towel tightly, anxiousness all too clear on her face.

"Here, let’s check it out," Gil offered, getting up. Maggie watched as Odin finally stopped choking, hitting his chest one more time, an obvious blush across his cheeks. She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. Her hand rubbing her temple, she mentally prayed, ‘ _Lord, give me strength_.’ 

Gil and Ava headed into the bathroom. Ava pointed at the bottom of the tub, and sure enough, a spidery, long-legged creature was backed into the corner of the shower. 

Gil turned off the running water, looking closer, then scratched his head. 

"Maggie!" he called. 

"What?" she answered, apathetically ticking her pen back and forth. 

"Come here please," he asked. 

She stood up from her chair, sneering at the still-frazzled Odin. “You are so weak,” she snickered at him before entering the bathroom. 

"Do you know what this is?" Gil asked her, directing an out-stretched hand towards the tiny atrocity. 

Odin heard her simply state, “What the fuck.” He turned to see them hovering around the tub. Interested, the tall boy got up and walked in to see what all the fuss was about. 

They all stood there, leaning downwards, staring at the peculiar animal. 

"What is it?" Ava gulped. 

"A pest, that’s what," Maggie retorted. She took off her shoe, balancing on one foot, then promptly handed it to Odin. He stared at it, then back at the green-haired girl blankly. 

"W-what exactly do you want me t-to do with that?" he questioned monotonously. 

"Kill it of course!" Maggie huffed. 

"Wh-what! No way, get Gil to do it, h-he’s the doctor," Odin replied flatly.

"Doctor-in-training, and I don’t really see how these two things are correlated," Gil corrected. "And plus, I’m not doing it."

Maggie groaned, “Seriously! Someone has to do it!”

Ava spoke up, her still-wet hair clinging to her face and neck. 

"I’ll do it."

They all turned towards the petite redhead. She clung to the towel wrapped around her. 

Reluctantly, she reached for the shoe in Maggie’s hand. 

Maggie pulled back, spinning on the much taller boys. She scoffed, “You’re really gonna let the naked girl do this? Have you no shame??”

Gil and Odin startled. With a sigh, Odin stepped out from behind Gil, taking the shoe determinedly. 

They all surrounded the dark-haired boy and watched as he lowered the shoe above the foreign intruder. Its antennas twitched, body tense. 

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Maggie hissed. 

"Y-you have to time it right," Odin whispered curtly.

The group held their breath as Odin lingered just above the victim. Just as he pulled back to deliver the death blow, it skittered into motion, crawling unto the shoe.

Odin screamed, flinging the shoe, letting it fly past Gil’s head. All four started shrieking, pushing into each other as they scrambled out of the bathroom. Once outside, Ava slammed the door shut. She danced on her tiptoes, flailing her free hand. 

"What the fuck Odin!" Maggie yelled. 

"What w-was I suppose to do?! It touched m-me!" he defended bitingly.

"Guys, relax," Ava interjected. "It’s trapped in there, we’re fine." 

"This is just great," Maggie chided. "We’re sharing an apartment with one of Satan’s offspring." She turned to Gil. "Gil, don’t you have like, holy water or something?" 

Gil drew back in objection. “They don’t give holy water to assistant youth ministers, Maggie,” he stated. “And even if I did have holy water I wouldn’t waste it on a bug.”

"Maybe we should get Six…" Ava offered. 

"Oh hell no," Maggie replied in disgust. "We are not going to them for help."

Gil spoke up. “Maggie’s right. We’re adults. We can handle this.”

There was a few seconds of awkward silence as the four of them looked from one to the other, singling out who would be tribute for the task. 

Their glares were interrupted by a sudden knock on the front door. They all jerked their heads around the corner. Gil cleared his throat, heading towards the door. He straightened his shirt before pulling it open. 

He was greeted by the ever-familiar scowl of their landlord, Strategos Six.

"Six! What a pleasant surprise! We were just-" Gil began nervously. 

"Save it Marverde," they interrupted. 

Gil’s face dropped short. 

"I am getting complaints from all corners of the building," Six continued. "Your noise level is absolutely ridiculous."

"And we are so sorry about that," Gil offered with a credulous smile. "Well, have a good night." He started to timidly shut the door, but Strat’s hand slapped against it, one foot wedging between it and the floor.

"I’m serious," they seethed. "This is the third time I’ve gotten noise complaints from your apartment.” They looked at the others, who were watching from the sidelines. “If this keeps happening, I’ll be forced to evict all of you.”

Gil nodded. “Understood,” he assured. 

Six moved back, but not before stating, “I’ve got my eye on you four.” They walked off, not bothering to say goodbye. 

Gil shut the door, his eyes wide in distress. 

"I-I’ve got an idea," Odin spoke up. "L-let’s sacrifice Six to the th-thing in the bathroom."

Ava giggled as Maggie groaned from the back of her throat. 

"No one’s sacrificing anybody!" Gil intervened, his tone much too serious. "We’re ending this, once and for all."

He stormed off to the kitchen, grabbing the fly swatter from the top of the refrigerator. 

They followed him, gathering around the bathroom door expectantly. 

Ava let out a tiny sneeze, her shoulders shaking. 

"W-what’s wrong?" Odin asked her quietly. "Are you cold?"

She nodded. The girl was still wrapped up in a towel, and Odin remembered much to his embarrassment that she was stark-naked save for the towel throughout this whole ordeal. He ran his hand down his face apprehensively, troubled by her shivering. 

"G-Gil, you and Maggie can h-handle this," he stated. He waved Ava towards his bedroom down the hall. She followed, teeth chattering. 

Maggie and Gil exchanged questioning looks before opening the bathroom door, in search of the minuscule intruder. 

Once in Odin’s bedroom, he flipped on the overhead light. Crouching on one knee, he pawed open his dresser drawer, pulling out an over-sized t-shirt.

"I th-thought maybe you needed s-something to wear," he addressed, flipping out the shirt, then holding it forward for the trembling girl. She took it, holding it close, as he delved into the drawer for a pair of pajama pants.

"Thanks," she smiled through her shaking. "But I could have just gone to my room and put on my own clothes."

Odin froze. He jolted upright, smacking his head against the dresser in a frenzy. He rubbed at the pain, stammering, “I-I-I knew t-that! I j-just…just…” he sighed, dropping his face into his hands. “I d-don’t know.” 

Ava smiled, a quiet and understanding gentleness to her eyes. 

"I’ll wear it anyway," she said. 

The dark haired boy looked up. She raised her eyebrows in affirmation, and he laughed softly. 

"Okay," he said in return. 

"But, I want to wear your boxers," she jested. "The ones with the little foxes on them."

He chuckled out a “Why?” then processed what she had asked. 

"W-wait! How do y-you know they h-have foxes on them??"

She shifted her weight to her other foot in exasperation.

"Odin, you literally leave your laundry in the dryer all the time," she answered. "Everyone in the country probably knows."

"Oh," he realized, recalling the fact that he did leave his laundry in the dryer more often than not. He reached out for the top drawer, rummaging through it before finding the pair of boxers. 

He smirked before tossing it to her. 

"Knock y-yourself out," he laughed.

Ava stuck out her tongue, unable to hide her grin, before sauntering off into her room, closing the door.

There was the sound of something crashing inside the bathroom, followed by a shrill screech, and then a final whack. Odin could hear Maggie’s triumphant cheer, followed by Gil’s outlandish cry of _Hallelujah_!

Gil poked his head around the frame of Odin’s door, hair disheveled, a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead. He panted out happily, “The beast is dead!” 

Maggie skipped beside him, wrapping her arm around Gil’s neck and swinging herself on the momentum. “We’re gonna burn the body,” she said ecstatically. “Tell Ava to meet us out in the parking lot.” She bounded down the hall and out the front door. 

Gil looked up at the ceiling, mouthing out ‘Lord forgive me’, before following the girl. 

Odin stood there in the sudden quiet of the apartment, hands on his hips. He heard Ava’s door open, her soft footsteps trailing into Odin’s room. 

His eyes met the small girl who stood in his doorway. The huge t-shirt swallowed her frame, the sleeves falling down to her elbows. The boxers barely fit, and she scrambled to lift them when they started to slide down her hips. 

Odin’s lips pursed into a smile, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Don’t laugh!" she warned, her own smile threatening to give way. 

"I’m not," he beamed, then added, "You l-look adorable."

Ava peered off to the side, a sly blush creeping unto her face. 

"Maggie and Gil k-killed Satan’s offspring," he stated. "They’re burning t-the body right now."

The short redhead let out a bewildered, “Oh.” She continued, “Do you want to go watch it?” 

He shrugged. “S-sure, why not.”

The pair of them strolled out from the room to the front door. 

Ava spoke, looking up at the lanky long-legged boy. 

"Your clothes smell really good." 

He jerked, a little startled by the comment, but answered her with a smile.

"R-really?"

"Yeah, like pine trees, and smoke. Kind of warm, I guess."

He opened the door, letting her go past him. 

It shut with a click behind them.


End file.
